abandoned to Christ.

The LORD God is our refuge. He alone is our ever-present help in our time of need. And when is that time? When is the time that we most need God? Is it when we're single? When we get married? When we have children? When we lose our jobs? When people speak well of us? When people speak ill of us? When? Our "time of need" is all the time. Every living thing's time of needing the Almighty begins from the time life begins. Unfortunately, not all of us know that, or, are mindful of it as often as we ought to be. We need the LORD our God when we rejoice and when we mourn; for without Christ our God, we don't know how to do anything without sinning. Without Christ, our rejoicing is in ourselves and we do a "Yay me!" dance in our souls and with our mouths. We joy in proclaiming our own goodness and jubilantly share our successes as if we could ever do, or give anything good to anyone without the only One who IS good—GOD Almighty. Therefore, th...

Our gracious and compassionate Father's timing is always perfect. It just so happens that today's Psalm (61:1-3) is exactly what my heart needed to hear and my soul needed to be reminded of. No matter the battles, heartaches, and losses that come my way, I know because the LORD my God is my refuge; the Rock that is higher than I, all is always well with my soul. Though I can never do anything to be worthy of God's holy and perfect love, I am always  loved by the Father because of worthiness of Jesus Christ the Son. Therefore, whenever my heart is faint due to external circumstances, my soul delights in magnifying the LORD for giving me all the good I don't deserve (grace) and withholding the evil that I do deserve (mercy). When I remember this truth and speak it to my soul, it is difficult for me to plunge into the depths of self-pity. Rather, my heart rises to echo the last verse of today's Psalm (v.8), "So will I ever sing praises to your name [...

Today's Psalm, Psalm 53:2-3 reminds me of the redeeming hope we have in Christ, prophesied about in Isaiah 59:14-16, "Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him." I'm so very grateful to our Father God who reminds us of who He is, and who we are in the light of His holiness. Which is why the Gospel is truly the greatest news anyone can ever hear. To know that I am completely unable and helpless to save myself from the righteous wrath of God, He sent His one and only Son to suffer and die in my stead, leaves me awestruck and humbled. May we never forget who God is, who we are, and w...

Evil will always do what evil does—deceive, destroy, devour. But thanks be to God that He is good, and therefore, always does what is good—deliver us from darkness, and into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ where truth, justice, and mercy reign. Though a tumult of wickedness may surround us. Though we have distress within and war without; those of us who repent of our sins and trust wholly in the name of Jesus Christ, the only and holy Son of God, alone, are free to find refuge and peace in Him. For in this world, Christ promised that we will have trouble, yet, we are of good courage because we do not fear all that is frightening, but rather, we fear the Almighty alone, and therefore, we are safe and have the peace of God that transcends all understanding (Jn 16:33, 1 Pet 3:6, Php 4:4-7). We are wild olive shoots, whom God has had mercy on, so that we may be nourished and strengthened from the Root of Jesse who was cut open, that we might be grafted in Him, and receive...

Today's Psalm is a beautiful expression and demonstration of what true repentance looks like—an honest look at self, in the sight of the only living, holy, and awesome God. In Psalm 51, King David pours out his heart to God Almighty; taking full responsibility for his sins against the Lord, Bathsheba, and her now deceased husband, Uriah. He makes no excuses. And he asks for nothing but God's forgiveness, knowing he is powerless to redeem himself. King David was a mighty warrior. He was a man of valor. He was also very arrogant, an adulterer, plotter of evil, a murderer, a lackadaisical father. Essentially, he was a wretched sinner like the rest of us. But then why did God give him one of the greatest compliments by calling him a man after God's own heart? The heart of the Almighty does not murder, is not arrogant, lackadaisical in regards to His children, etc.? Why would God refer to King David as someone who chases hard after the LORD? My guess is because King...

Peace is not the absence of conflict with people. Peace is the absence of conflict with God. Leviticus 7:11-15 says, "And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the LORD. If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the LORD. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning." (ESV) Those of us who have been granted the gift of repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ, had the only acceptable pe...